Jharkhand protest: Jharkhand LoP slams late night protest site visit by Ranchi’s DC and SSP

Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi on Wednesday (August 12, 2026) condemned the late night visit by two top officials at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, where the agitation by job aspirants over alleged irregularities in the State recruitment examinations entered its 19th day 

Ranchi’s Deputy Commissioner (DC) Manjunath Bhajantri and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rakesh Ranjan reached the protest site late at night, Mr. Marandi said.

Sharing a post on X he wrote: “This morning, as soon as I checked my mobile, I learned from the tweet posted by Amit Malviya ji, the party’s central social media coordinator, at 1:30 AM, and ANI’s social media post that late at night, Ranchi’s DC and SSP reached the protest site at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium and attempted to forcibly remove the students by cutting off the electricity.”

He strongly condemned the “undemocratic and reprehensible attitude” of the Ranchi district adminstration and the Hemant Soren-led governement.

“The officials stated that the government has cancelled the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) exam, so the protest should now be ended. As soon as the students received the information, BJP leaders arrived at the protest site late at night. Upon seeing the BJP leaders arriving there, the administrative officials left the spot,” he added.

The senior BJP leader, who also visited the site on Wednesday morning (August 12, 2026), asserted that the government can no longer tolerate even the peaceful struggle of students fighting for their rights and future. He added that the students’ demand is absolutely clear: there should be a fair CBI investigation into the selling of jobs and irregularities in the JPSC and JSSC exams.

“The students have already trusted the government’s assurances in the name of a CID investigation, and now they no longer have faith in that investigation. Simply cancelling the JPSC exam will not resolve the entire matter. The government should immediately order a CBI investigation and take concrete action on all the legitimate demands of the students,” Mr. Marandi said.

The former Chief Minister alleged that instead of suppressing the students’ voice by force of the police and administration, the government should resolve their demands.

“I warn the Hemant government not to make the mistake of challenging the power of the students. If an attempt is made to suppress this voice that has arisen in Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, its spark will reach every village in Jharkhand,” Mr. Marandi said.

He also demanded that the Ranchi district administration should ensure proper arrangements for electricity, water, sanitation, and other basic facilities at the protest site, rather than attempting to disrupt the peaceful movement at the government’s behest.

Ranchi DC, SSP on purpose of visit

On the purpose of the visit, DC Bhajantri said they had come to check on the protesters. “We have come here to ask whether the protesters are not facing any difficulties. Three students are on hunger strike over here, so we requested them to eat something so that their health does not deteriorate,” he said.

“We also have a request from the students to think about a practical and implementable next step, and accordingly we will cooperate,” the DC added.

Mr. Bhajantri was also found asking students whether they had appeared for the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam.

Ranchi SSP Mr. Ranjan appealed to the students not to allow any outsiders or anti-social elements to become part of their movement. He also urged the students to verify the identities and origins of all individuals at least once at night.

Reacting to the visit of the officials, student leader Kunal Singh said that it was humanly not possible to identify the outsiders and that it was the job of the special branch. He also alleged that during their visit, the officials tried to separate the JPSC and JSSC students.